Seoul, Feb 25 (IANS) South Korea and the United States will stage their annual joint springtime military exercise next month to strengthen their combined defense posture as they are preparing for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul, the allies’ militaries said Wednesday.The Freedom Shield (FS) exercise is scheduled to take place from March 9-19, involving the field training exercise dubbed “Warrior Shield,” according to the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (…
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Seoul, Feb 25 (IANS) The number of babies born in South Korea grew at the fastest pace in 15 years in 2025, with the country’s total fertility rate rising to 0.8 for the first time in four years, government data showed on Wednesday.A total of 254,500 babies were born last year, up 6.8 per cent, or 16,100, from 2024, according to the provisional data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. The ministry will announce the final statistics in August, reports Yonhap news agency.The 2025 tally marks…
Seoul, Feb 25 (IANS) Hyundai Motor, Kia and BMW Korea will voluntarily recall 107,158 vehicles across 37 models due to manufacturing defects that could pose fire risks, the transport ministry said on Wednesday.According to the ministry, 37,690 units of four Hyundai models, including the Kona Electric, are subject to corrective measures over a battery management system (BMS) software issue, which could prevent early detection of fire risks.Kia will recall 1,590 units of the Niro electric vehicle …
Gwacheon, Feb 25 (IANS) A new special counsel team officially launched on Wednesday to investigate remaining suspicions surrounding ousted former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, his failed martial law bid and allegations involving his wife.Special counsel Kwon Chang-young has been tasked with reopening investigations into insurrection charges stemming from Yoon’s failed martial law bid, along with corruption allegations tied to former first lady Kim Keon Hee and the 2023 death of a Marine….
Seoul, Feb 24 (IANS) South Korea’s business sentiment turned positive for March, marking the first rebound in four years, due to the country’s robust exports of chips and automobiles, a poll showed on Tuesday.The business survey index (BSI) of the country’s top 600 companies by sales stood at 102.7 for next month, according to the monthly poll by the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), reports Yonhap news agency.A reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists, while a figure above th…
Seoul, Feb 22 (IANS) Foreign investors have posted a net sale of around 9 trillion won ($6.2 billion) on the main bourse this year through last week, data showed on Sunday.Overseas investors have sold a net 9.1 trillion won worth of shares on the main bourse in 2026 as of Friday, compared with a net sale of 4.6 trillion won for all of 2025, according to the Korea Exchange (KRX).In detail, foreigners sold a net 9.5 trillion won worth of shares in Samsung Electronics Co., with the stock soaring 59…
Seoul, Feb 19 (IANS) The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said on Thursday she ‘highly appreciates’ South Korea’s pledge to prevent a recurrence of drone incursions into the North, vowing to step up the country’s vigilance along the border with the South. Kim Yo-jong, a party vice department director, issued the statement via the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) a day after Unification Minister Chung Dong-young expressed ‘regret’ over drone incursions into the North and announ…
Seoul, Feb 17 (IANS) North Korea said on Tuesday it has completed a landmark housing project to build 50,000 living units in Pyongyang ahead of a party congress later this month.”The construction of 50,000 flats in Pyongyang, powerfully carried on as the top-priority task of the historic eighth congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, has been successfully concluded to be an epoch-making success in the new era of the comprehensive national rejuvenation,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) sai…
Seoul, Feb 16 (IANS) North Korea has built new homes in Pyongyang for the bereaved family members of North Korean soldiers who died during the Russia-Ukraine war, its state media said on Monday.The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended the opening ceremony of the new street called Saeppyol Street on Sunday, accompanied by his daughter Ju-ae and other officials.In his speech at the ceremony, Kim said the new street “has been built thanks to the ardent des…
Seoul, Feb 15 (IANS) The cremation rate in South Korea continues to be on a steady rise, data showed on Sunday, prompting concerns over potential shortages of cremation facilities, especially in densely populated major cities, such as Seoul, amid the rapid aging of the population.The national cremation rate came to 94 percent in 2024, up from 92.9 percent a year earlier, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK) and the welfare ministry, reports Yonhap news agency.The figure has been on…